Report: Retina iPad Mini delayed until 2014

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Plenty of potential buyers scoffed derisively when Apple announced the iPad Mini with a paltry 1024×768 LCD panel. The only thing to calm the unrest were rumors of a forthcoming Retina display version of the smaller tablet (and of course a reminder that the iPad Mini’s display is actually pretty good). Apple hasn’t said anything about a Retina version of the iPad Mini yet, but it was widely believed to be coming this fall. According to a new report, the Retina Mini won’t land until 2014.

The Taiwanese Economic News Daily now claims that shortages of the high-resolution Retina display screens needed for an updated iPad Mini have caused Apple to push back the planned release.

In the meantime, Apple may still update the internals of the iPad Mini this fall. The Mini is still running on the Apple A5 ARM chip, which was a few generations out of date when the device came out. The A5 is a dual-core 800MHz chip based on the Cortex-A9 architecture. It gets the job done, but more recent Apple chips have considerably improved graphics.

If Apple goes ahead with a spec-bump for the Mini, and new version with Retina screen could follow in less than a year. It would be a repeat of the iPad 3rd gen to 4th gen scenario, which left many early adopters with a touch of buyer’s remorse. There would presumably be a price premium for a Retina display version, though.

So, if you’ve been eyeing the iPad Mini, it may very well be safe to buy one. The true upgrade might not arrive until early next year.